Sure enough—
Aizen had been right.
After the screen-filling explosive shockwave finally dispersed, his figure reappeared once more—completely unscathed.
Not a speck of smoke or dust clung to the white Las Noches uniform on his body.
Which meant…
Ichigo Kurosaki's hard-won sneak-attack opportunity…
Had failed. Completely!
And with the camera's close-up cue, the viewers could clearly see it—
Behind Aizen's neck, there was a faintly glimmering, hexagonal, miniature light-shield!
Just now…
It was precisely because that thing existed…
That it had tanked the Getsuga Tenshō—and protected Aizen from being ambushed!!!
"This light barrier…"
"Is that also one of the Hōgyoku's abilities?"
"Aizen… as expected, he never shows any opening—ever!!!"
Inside the First Division barracks—
The Shinigami captains all frowned.
Staring at the light-shield behind Aizen's neck, they found it anything but unfamiliar—after all, they'd already had it shoved in their faces three times before!
But they hadn't expected…
Even after watching up to this point…
Aizen would still have brand-new abilities being revealed on his body!
Terrifying!!!
"Haah…"
In the crowd,
Shunsui Kyōraku adjusted his clothing with a faint smile, but his expression remained grave as he spoke in a low voice:
"I'm actually more worried now. In a one-on-one face-to-face standoff, even if Ichigo's mindset matured after going through Hueco Mundo…"
"He could still be shaken easily by Aizen's verbal manipulation…"
After all—
Even they, the Shinigami captains…
In the previous ranking video, even when they ganged up on Aizen with a rotation of attacks…
Every last one of them still failed to keep their cool, got their tempers broken by Aizen's constant provocations, and rushed in impulsively—
Only to be cut down in a single stroke by Kyōka Suigetsu!!!
If even the captains were like that…
Then needless to say, compared to them, Ichigo's age and life experience were less than one-tenth!
At worst—
Kyōraku even felt that if Aizen started sophistry right now…
And performed a hypnosis "ritual" right in front of Ichigo's eyes…
Then it would be over!!!
If even the savior fell…
That would mean…
In the future, the entire Soul Society and the Gotei 13 would never find any method at all…
To stop Aizen—
And his ambition to reshape the entire Soul Society!
Just imagining that consequence—
Was enough to make Kyōraku break out in a cold sweat!!!
"Verbal provocation?"
"That's what Aizen is best at!"
"In a moment, whether Ichigo can withstand his brainwashing is absolutely crucial!!!"
Soi Fon clenched her teeth.
The moment Aizen was mentioned, her face filled with hatred.
Ever since last time—
When Aizen used that classic "spiritual pressure theory" to crack her two-hit kill in public and humiliate her…
The proud, tsundere Soi Fon…
Had been feeling mortified ever since!
With her arrogance and pride, she naturally wanted less than anyone to see Aizen succeed!!!
——
However…
The next segment that played…
Was exactly what the captains least wanted to see!
In this rare standoff scene,
Aizen, of course, wouldn't miss the chance to speak with Ichigo!
"Long time no see, Ryoka boy…"
His white clothes snapped and fluttered.
Aizen held his blade in one hand, calm as drifting clouds, and glanced back sideways.
His gaze met Ichigo's, and he said coldly:
"Let me guess what you're thinking right now…"
He raised his hand.
The blade lightly traced a line through the air.
In an instant, every single crescent-shaped slash wave was blown apart—
And the image became clear again.
Aizen continued:
"Your first strike was a misjudgment. You should've Hollowfied before attacking!"
"Right now, that's what you're thinking… isn't it?"
Aizen's voice…
Seemed to carry some kind of magic.
As if he had mind-reading—able to see straight through what Ichigo was thinking.
"But…"
"There's still a chance."
"Hollowfy. Go on—try attacking."
"I'll show you just how arrogant and self-important that idea really is…"
His tone remained calm.
There wasn't the slightest emotional fluctuation.
But to anyone listening, Aizen's voice dripped with provocation at every moment.
And on top of that—
That final sentence!
It naturally maxed out the hatred meter.
And Ichigo, unsurprisingly, did exactly as told!
After covering his face with his hand, the bull-headed mask appeared!!!
"Good grief…"
"Aizen-taichō, you're really nasty."
"You know perfectly well that Ichigo—and his 'Zangetsu'—can't even cut you…"
"And yet you still tease him openly, right in front of everyone…"
Inside Las Noches,
Gin Ichimaru narrowed his eyes in a sly smile as he spoke.
Even though—
During the Hueco Mundo "instance,"
Ichigo, using the power brought by Bull-Head Ichigo, had defeated Ulquiorra and Yammy one after another—
Still…
The Espada's power—
And Aizen's—
Were worlds apart.
Gin Ichimaru naturally believed—
Even if Ichigo put on the bull-headed mask, the outcome would be the same.
The blade of Tensa Zangetsu—
If it so much as brushed Aizen's hem, count that as Aizen losing!!!
And nearby,
Hearing Gin's words,
The Hollows and Arrancar stared toward the throne with feverish eyes.
Their gazes all converged on Aizen's seated figure as they worshipfully said:
"As expected…"
"It still has to be Lord Aizen himself, stepping in personally, to keep Hueco Mundo standing tall!"
"Without him, this place… would've fallen apart ages ago!!!"
Adoration.
Admiration.
Awe.
Aizen's appearance swept away the earlier gloom.
In an instant, when they looked at Ichigo again, the entire Arrancar force held no fear at all—
Instead, they were eagerly anticipating the moment when the bull-headed mask's power would fail!!!
"Getsuga Tenshō—!!!"
Hollowfied.
Bull-Head mask manifest.
Ichigo raised his sword with both hands.
A dark-red, solidified spiritual pressure coiled around the blade.
He swung down—
But the slash passed straight through Aizen's afterimage.
Aizen used Shunpō to evade with ease.
And instead, he kept goading him:
"Ichigo Kurosaki… you still don't understand? A blade without hatred can't harm me."
"What do you mean…?"
Ichigo hesitated, his eyes full of vigilance.
The corners of Aizen's mouth lifted.
With dignified composure, he said:
"Since you're here, that proves Orihime Inoue is safe."
"And that your other companions are all unharmed as well. So…"
"Do you still have any reason to hate me to the bone? No. You don't."
"To fight without hatred is like an eagle losing its wings—you can't protect anything."
"And in that case, these weak, powerless companions on this battlefield…"
"They can only drag you down!!!"
Aizen's voice—
Echoed across the battlefield.
And through the ranking video's playback, it was transmitted into reality with crystal clarity.
Hearing those words,
The Shinigami of the Gotei 13 immediately panicked!
"Damn it…"
"He really started brainwashing!"
"Every time, Aizen brings out a brand-new set of arguments and talks like he's absolutely right!"
"And the worst part is—no matter who it is, even knowing it's a trap, they still fall for it!"
"Look—Ichigo's hands gripping the hilt are clearly trembling. His resolve is wavering!!!"
The Shinigami—
Especially the captains—
Were deeply anxious.
Just as Aizen said—
After that verbal assault,
Sweat streamed down Ichigo's cheeks.
Even his arms were visibly starting to slacken, as if he was about to lower his blade.
It was obvious—
He'd been brainwashed successfully!!!
Thankfully—
The video then fast-forwarded.
With Sajin Komamura taking the lead, they arrived at Ichigo's side in time, pressed down on his hands, and gave him confidence!
That cut off Aizen's brainwashing process—
And successfully pulled Ichigo out of the danger of facing it alone!
That segment ended there.
The video screen turned black for the moment!!!
——
"Whew…"
Inside the Urahara Shop,
Kisuke Urahara and the others finally let out a breath.
Just now, during the moment when Ichigo's resolve wavered—
If Aizen had shown even the slightest killing intent…
Or released his Zanpakutō with the intention to hypnotize—
Ichigo would've been finished already!
He would've become a toy under Aizen's control—
A plaything to be dominated.
All you could say was…
They'd been ridiculously lucky!!!
"That was way too dangerous…"
"Just now, the plot almost ended the whole story right there!"
"I can't even imagine how terrifying the outcome would be if the Shinigami captains weren't there…"
Isshin Kurosaki wiped sweat from his brow, still shaken.
"Yeah…"
Urahara nodded.
"Thank goodness Aizen intentionally wants to power-level the 'alt account' and cultivate Ichigo's growth."
"Otherwise, with anyone else… they'd already be completely done for."
"But still—going through that process once is enough! If it happens again, everyone's going to be on edge!!!"
However—
The moment he finished speaking,
Something happened that disappointed Urahara.
Next—
The video brightened again.
And it was the exact same scene—the sky above the Karakura Town battlefield!
Aizen and Ichigo facing off.
As if caught in some Infinite Tsukuyomi, the standoff began a second time!
"Ichigo Kurosaki…"
"As the most perfect research material…"
"Every battle you've fought up until now has been under my control."
The corners of Aizen's lips rose.
He wore a faint smile.
This time, though, at his shoulder there were three distinct creases—
And within them, traces of the dark-red sword-pressure from Tensa Zangetsu still remained!
Clearly—
Ichigo had actually injured him once!!!
But—
After that line, the video did something rare:
The screen split down the middle into a two-panel view.
From a third-person, god's-eye angle,
It exposed what Aizen had been doing behind the scenes—
Using Ulquiorra's unique shared-vision ability to record everything about Ichigo's battles.
And also—
Aizen's trio,
Over the past one hundred years,
Using the power of Kyōka Suigetsu to place "cameras" throughout Soul Society and the Human World—
In many different locations—
Recording everything Ichigo had gone through:
Every battle, and every step of his growth.
In that split-screen segment,
From start to finish, Aizen sat in a lazy posture—exactly like a moviegoer.
All alone,
With a cup of red tea placed beside him.
He watched, from beginning to end, every single "clip" of Ichigo Kurosaki's rise.
And with that exposure—
The picture-in-picture style not only created a brand-new viewing experience…
It also hammered the point home:
Ever since Ichigo was born…
Aizen had been behind the curtain, manipulating Ichigo's entire growth trajectory!
So—
It immediately triggered an enormous uproar.
And this time, when Ichigo himself learned the truth—
He was utterly stunned and shaken!!!
"How can it be like this…"
"So my life—if not for this ranking video appearing…"
"In the original timeline, everything I experienced…"
"Was all carefully arranged by Aizen?!"
"That's horrifying!!!"
Reality.
Karakura Town, Tomioka Park.
Ichigo took off the bull-headed mask, his mouth hanging open in shock.
He was completely stunned by the truth exposed in the video!
And it finally proved—
That he really was Aizen's "alt account," with ironclad evidence!!!
This time—
The ranking video—
Completely nailed it down!!!
"…"
Beside him,
Tatsuki Arisawa, Orihime Inoue, and Yasutora Sado all fell silent.
If the truth was really like this…
Then Ichigo had even less reason to swing his blade at Aizen, didn't he?
And conversely—
Shouldn't he be grateful to Aizen instead?
Otherwise… perhaps—
Without Aizen's tacit permission…
And without that initial arrangement for Rukia Kuchiki to approach him—
Ichigo's path as a Shinigami would never have begun!
He never would've grown stronger step by step, becoming a powerful fighter!!!
"No wonder during the Thousand-Year Blood War…"
"In the final battle, I fought alongside Aizen—shoulder to shoulder—against that evil Soul King, Yhwach!"
"So from the very beginning…"
"Strictly speaking, Aizen and I can't really be considered enemies!"
After the brief shock, as he organized his thoughts again—
Ichigo confirmed three things.
That is—setting aside his identity as a Shinigami, and his future bonds with the Gotei 13—
At least…
For him personally—
He truly had no grudge against Aizen.
In fact, to put it bluntly, Aizen was his biggest backer!
With Aizen supporting him from behind,
All of Hueco Mundo—the entire Arrancar force—would never dare lay a hand on him!
Not to mention…
The timeline had changed now.
Thanks to the protagonist's special "viewer benefit," Ichigo's power synchronized with his future self.
He'd long since broken away from ordinary humanity, his pressure unrivaled and supreme—
So even if he wasn't afraid…
He was even less afraid—
And had even less reason—
To oppose Aizen, or Hueco Mundo at all!!!
"So…"
Following Ichigo's words—
Chad immediately looked thoughtful.
"Ichigo… from now on, your enemies are only the pure-blood Quincy clan."
"And that Yhwach who will someday dare to overturn the whole world, right?!"
"Exactly!!!"
Ichigo nodded, his eyes firm.
"Now I'm actually interested— I want to meet Aizen myself."
"Because… in the future, when fighting Yhwach, the Soul King…"
"He's the only reliable teammate at my side!!!"
——
Meanwhile—
Just as Ichigo's thinking shifted—
The video jumped again, continuing onward.
It played an entirely new segment—
The Dangai!
Ichigo was speechless!
A boundless, silent, sealed space with no end in sight!!!!
At this moment—
Two figures, one in front and one behind, ran for a while—
Then stopped in a certain area and began talking:
"Ichigo… listen carefully!"
"I think now is the most suitable opportunity!!!"
"Since matter disappears here, I can teach you without worry—right here—how to snipe Aizen at close range!"
"To train the strongest Getsuga Tenshō!!!"
The moment those words—
Were delivered to the real world through the video—
A fresh uproar exploded.
The curiosity of viewers everywhere was instantly hooked!
"Aizen-taichō… this video…"
"Should be the one the two of us destroyed on the way to the real Karakura Town, right?"
"At least now, the secret you were most interested in—how Ichigo suddenly became stronger…"
"Looks like it's finally going to be revealed…"
Below the throne,
Gin Ichimaru showed his signature foxlike smile, clearly excited.
To be honest—forget everyone else—
Even he himself was intensely curious!
Just how, exactly, did one train the Final Getsuga Tenshō—
Such that Ichigo Kurosaki…
Could undergo a metamorphosis in power within such a short time and become a transcendent being?
So—
Once the video exposed it—
From now on, could other Shinigami, and even Arrancar…
Use the same method—
Inside the Dangai—
To multiply their strength severalfold…
And also train into transcendent beings?!
About that—
Gin Ichimaru was thrilled!
He desperately wanted the ranking video to expose the full process immediately!!!
(End of Chapter)
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